Rail-joint.



' RAIL JOINT,

' 1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 1111.21.1911. n 1,021,841 Y Patented Apnz, 191.2T

mm1 l Minimum/Mui l Il llllllllllllllllllllll 3mm@ J vif/L0 fla ad JOHN M. LorrLAND, or wooDs'FrnLD, oHIo.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led March 21, 1911. Serial No. 615,863.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,\JOHN M. LorrLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Woodsield, in the county of Monroe and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a rail joint, and more particularly lto the class of rail chairs.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a chair in which the meeting ends of railway rails are positioned and heldv so as to form a tight joint therebetween, thus preventing the pounding of the car wheels when the same passover the meeting ends of the rails.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a chair of this characterr in which the railway rails are supported, so that the meeting ends thereof will be prevented from separation, and obviating the necessity of the use of fish plates or other fasteners for the joining of the rails.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a chair inwhich rail ends are supported, and that will be securely wedged therein, so as to prevent the longitudinal separation thereof or lateral displacement caulsed by expansion and contraction of the rai s.

A still further object of the invention is t-he pro-vision vof a chair in which the rail ends are securely fastened without requiring the splicing thereof or the joining thereof by means of bolt members or equivalent fasteners.

With these and other objects in view, the invent-ion consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereunto appended.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the meeting ends of railway rails, showing the same mounted in a chair constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the4 line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line M of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the wedge members. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the chair with the rails removed and the chair being partly broken away.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout theL several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 5 and 6 designate the ends of apair of railway rails, the latter being of the ordinary well-known construction, that is to say, each including a base flange, a web and a tread or ball or head. These rail ends 5 and 6 are detachably held within a chair, as will be hereinafter more fully described. This chair comprises a block 7, the same being longitudinally channeled to provide a bearing seat 8 for the rails positioned within the block. One side wall of the channel 8 is cut away to form laterally converging Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

downwardly inclined bearing surfaces 9, the

same extending from opposite ends of the block 7 inwardly and intersecting a vertical opening extending entirely through the block 7 from the top to the bottom face thereof.

Removably fitted in the block 7 between the webs and base flanges of therail ends 5 and 6, at one side thereof, are wedge members 11, the same being provided with inclined outer bearing faces 12 adapted to engage with the surfaces 9 when driven in opposite directions with respect to each other after ybeing inserted in the block. These wedge members serve to lock the rails within the chair and prevent separation thereof. The wedge members are separated from each other on the inserting of a driven element 13 within the opening 10 in the block 7. This element 13 may be, if desired, engaged in a supporting tie 14, upon which the chair is superimposed, thetie being of the ordinary well-known type of cross-tie.

The abutting ends of .the flanges of the rail ends 5 and 6 are suitably cut-away to permit t-he element 13 to pass downwardly in the opening 10 in the block for the separation of the wedge members l1 which serve to securely fasten the rail ends in the'chair.

What is claimed is:

The combination with meeting ends of railway rails and the supporting tie, of a chair comprising a block having a rail seat for receiving the` rail ends provided with laterally converging side surfaces, wedgeshaped members inserted between the rail ends and the laterally converging surfaces, the said wedge-shaped members being pro vided with outwardly dix/erging beveled inner ends, the said block being provided with an opening in its bottom, and a wedgeshaped key inserted between the beveled In'testiniony whereoil I aiiix my signature 1n presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN M. LOFFLAND.

innei` ends of the wedge-shaped members- Witnesses: and passed through the opening in the bot- F. A. JEFFERS, torn of the block and engaged in the tie. R. F. SEARS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

